Imago
Small Humanoid Hit Dice: 3d8 (13 hp) Initiative: +5 Speed: 30 ft., fly 40 ft. (average) AC: 17 (+1 size, +1 Dexterity, +5 natural) Attacks: Sting +3 melee, or claw +3 melee, or shortsword +3 melee, or composite shortbow +4 ranged Damage: Sting 1d4 plus poison, claw 1d4, shortsword 1d6/19–20, composite shortbow 1d6/x3 Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 5 ft./5 ft. Special Attacks: Poison Special Qualities: Imago traits Saves: Fort +1, Ref +4, Will +2 Abilities: Str 11, Dex 13, Con 10, Int 9, Wis 12, Cha 8 I know I want the imago to have a high Dexterity score. According to the DUNGEON MASTER’s Guide, I could penalize Strength, Constitution, or some combination of Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma to balance that bonus. A flying creature already has a limit on how much encumbrance it can carry while airborne, so I don’t want to penalize Strength. Wisdom controls perception through modifiers on Listen and Spot checks, so I don’t want to penalize Wisdom. So I opted to penalize Intelligence and Charisma. Skills: Hide +8, Listen +3, Move Silently* +8, Spot +3 My vision of the imago as a stalker and a stealthy hunter not only means it needs a high Dexterity score, but also that it has some ranks in Hide and Move Silently. Since it doesn’t have many skill points to spend on those skills, I also decided to give the imago a +4 racial bonus on Move Silently checks. Feats: Alertness (B), Improved Initiative I assigned Alertness as a racial bonus feat because I feel strongly that all imago characters should have it. Climate/Terrain: Temperate and warm land and underground Organization: Solitary, pair, swarm (3–5), or hive (11–20) Challenge Rating: 3 Treasure: Standard Alignment: Any Advancement: By character class Imago are industrious, no-nonsense creatures. Many races find them brusque or out-right rude, but the imago are simply too focused on their current tasks to pay much attention to social niceties. That very focus on work makes them prized laborers in many parts of the world. Imago encountered outside their hivelike villages are often working on contracts in order to bring money back to their homes. On the rare religious or political holidays when they do relax, imago enjoy drinking mead and singing. Bards are always welcome in imago hives. Imago speak their own language, which is called Imago. To most outsiders, it sounds like the drone of a hornet, amplified to suit the imago’s proportionately larger size. An imago that deals with other races learns the corresponding languages if it possess a high enough Intelligence score. Combat Imago usually attack on the wing, swooping down on opponents and stinging them. They then fly off, peppering their foes with arrows while their poison takes effect. Imago do not retreat, but they may withdraw from combat long enough to gather reinforcements. Poison: An imago delivers its poison (Fortitude save DC 11; Constitution-based) with each successful sting attack. The initial and secondary damage ratings are the same (1d6 points of Dexterity damage). Imago Traits (Ex): Imago benefit from a number of racial traits. Balanced Ability Scores: An imago has a +2 bonus to Dexterity, a –2 penalty to Intelligence, and a –2 penalty to Charisma. Small: As a Small creature, an imago gains a +1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +4 size bonus on Hide checks. However, it must use smaller weapons than humans use, and its lifting and carrying limits are three-quarters those of Medium-size characters. Imago cannot fly when carrying more than a light load. Skills and Feats: *An imago gains a +4 racial bonus on Move Silently checks, and it receives Alertness as a bonus feat. Automatic Languages: Imago. Bonus Languages: Common, Dwarf, Elf, Giant, Gnome, Goblin, Halfling, Orc. Favored Class: An imago’s favored class is rogue. A multiclass imago’s rogue class does not count determining whether it takes an XP penalty (see XP for Multiclass Characters in Chapter 3: Characters in the Player’s Handbook). Imago Characters An imago has a +2 level adjustment. Thus, an imago character’s Effective Character Level (ECL) equals its starting Hit Dice (2) plus its level adjustment (2) plus its class levels. Category:Humanoids